text file processors

[Otispunkmeyer]

Not sure whether I should put this in the science thread but I'll try here first.

Is there a program for editing text files en-mass?

For example what I would really want to do is stuff a load of text files in a folder and have a program simply blast through them all removing the first 3 rows/lines from each file and then re-saving.

I have notepad ++ but I can't see that this will do what I want. I could write a program in SciLab, but I don't know how you deal with many different file names. I need something that will just pick the next file, regardless of what the name is, strip out the top 3 rows and save.

Any ideas?

[lestag]

assuming windows 8 or access to powershell
google

powershell strip first line in files

[mizx]

Could be done in Notepad++ using 'Find in files' with the right regex;

http://superuser.com/questions/310380/notepad-dele...

Edited by mizx on Tuesday 22 July 11:30

[LordGrover]

Are the files equal length?
If on *nix either head or tail should do the trick.

[illmonkey]

I have to do similar, I use TextCrawler, it basically is a find/replace for multiple files.

[tribbles]

I'd use a Perl script to do it. But probably too much hassle for Windows.

Quick and dirty Windows solution would be VBScript.

[lestag]

Here you go for powershell
http://britv8.com/remove-4-lines-from-the-start-of...
Tested on Windows 7

[AlanQ]

Try this?
http://www.digitalvolcano.co.uk/textcrawler.html
A brilliant little program that's saved me hours on that kind of task

sorry just saw illmonkey said the same!

[Otispunkmeyer]

Cheers chaps

I shall give some of these a go.

[BertB]

either TextCrawler or Vim (for windows).

[Otispunkmeyer]

Powershell works a treat. I wish I knew that existed sooner!!!

[Mr E]

Why are we not using awk?

[TheExcession]

Mr E said:

Why are we not using awk?

I've written/hacked some stupidly complex file parser scripts in awk before - thankfully I've forgotten it all now

[lestag]

Otispunkmeyer said:

Powershell works a treat. I wish I knew that existed sooner!!!

I've been on a 4 day powershell course this month, so of course EVERYTHING can be done with powershell

[TheExcession]

lestag said:

Otispunkmeyer said:

Powershell

powershell

Powershell - Euphemism for Linux & awk? :clueless:

[lestag]

TheExcession said:

owershell - Euphemism for Linux & awk? :clueless:

the scary thing is you can do regular expressions in it too... I hate them!

[SlidingSideways]

lestag said:

the scary thing is you can do regular expressions in it too... I hate them!

Confucius says: Man with problem who thinks solution is regular expression now has two problems.

[Mr E]

SlidingSideways said:

Confucius says: Man with problem who thinks solution is regular expression now has two problems.

s/two/many

[lestag]

SlidingSideways said:

Confucius says: Man with problem who thinks solution is regular expression now has two problems.

That's why I skipped the section in the training I told the tutor I was skipping it because I would never use it. He said there may be a time when processing text that you would need it. I said you misunderstand me - I am *never* going to use it